The Napkin Dispenser
by Zadien
Summary: Feeling his neck prickle, Kai twisted the napkin dispenser and watched Tsubasa glare in his direction. 'I think he has a crush on you.' With the arrival of his 'relative' Kai has to do some plotting. Not yaoi! OC warning.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own Beyblade or Tsubasa who is from that other series of Beyblade. I needed a foil for Kai, I chose the other character that David Reale voice acts for. It made sense in my head when I wrote it.

**A.N.** For anyone interested – I'm finishing up my BA degree. Over the past four years I've written very little so these little shots that I'm posting are just for me to practice getting back in Amber and Kai's heads and to see where my writing needs work and what exactly I have to improve on. Thus I'm not writing my other fanfictions because I believe they deserve a lot more attention than an hour here and there when I'm so unbelievably out of practice with writing for any fandom.

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The Napkin Dispenser

By: Zadien

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The sun was bleaching the pavement and coaxing the townsfolk to duck inside the air-conditioned shadows of the local corner shops for cold drinks and ice creams. In the Friars Rest, Kai lounged in a booth, enjoying the feel of the cool fake leather upholstery against his arms that he'd thrown along the back. Opposite him Johnny sipped his strawberry malt, and pushed the navy bandana away from his brow.

The diner wasn't as crowded as it usually was on a Saturday afternoon. There were a few teens he recognized sitting in their little cliques at various booths and tables, while Enrique Giancarlo was trying to flirt with Julia Fernadez but she was shutting him down – obviously still unhappy with his playboy status. Bryan Kuznetsov was sitting in a corner watching Mariam setting up the coffee machine as other waitresses bustled past with orders for the kitchen. There was a family near the front door with a spoon-throwing gremlin taking target practice at a random spot on the floor making his parents fetch it. And because he was watching this child, he saw Amber walk in before the others did.

She was dressed for work with a light jacket folded over her arm and had a face like thunder. He shifted in his seat and idly glanced at Johnny to see if he'd noticed her. He hadn't. He was playing with his phone, probably one of those new apps that had turned Johnny into an anti-social prick. Kai kicked his foot.

'What?'

'Some date you are.'

Johnny grinned and put away the phone. 'I thought Tala was your date.'

Kai drained his glass of soda.

Shrugging, Johnny glanced around the diner. His body snapped to attention and he sat up straighter. 'Oh well look, your favourite person has shown up.'

Kai didn't rise to the bait and instead swished a fry through the small blob of ketchup on his plate. He knew that Amber had rounded the counter and had moved to the staff area to store her stuff, that was what all the workers in the Friar's Rest did. It didn't mean anything that he was aware of that.

Johnny chuffed out a breath and began to draw patterns in the condensation on the table-top. 'Is Tala getting an ice cream or is he just holding up the counter?'

Kai pushed his glass away. 'Not sure. Could be trying to get that blonde's number. Who is she anyway?'

'No idea. New hire. Tried asking Mariam about her and got growled at. Girl is PMSing again.'

'I wouldn't mess with her. You know how Kuznetsov is about her.'

'Yeah, the fuckin' Hulk.'

Kai nodded. Bryan smash.

Johnny jerked a shoulder but his eyes narrowed. 'Looks like it's Benson's time of the month too.'

Kai didn't look. It wasn't his concern if she was pissed off. It was curious though. She was quick to get annoyed but she could hide it when working. Tips weren't given to girls with twisted faces.

'Well, well, well, if it isn't Amber Benson. You working today?'

Kai stiffened and jerked around. Why the hell was he here? He rolled his eyes just as Amber sneered at the figure that was leaning against the counter like a ladyboy version of Lady Gaga. Johnny snorted and Kai shook his head in disdain. What the fuck was he wearing?

'No, I'm wearing the uniform for a laugh. What do you want?'

'Food? That is what people get served in a diner, right?'

'Well take a seat and someone will take your order.'

'What is that douche's problem?' Kai muttered.

'I think he's trying to get into her pants,' Johnny said, watching Tsubasa Otori swagger to the booth with an exaggerated swing of his narrow hips clad in skin-tight beige. For a young man Tsubasa seemed to be having issues with puberty. As in it hadn't hit him yet.

'Benson couldn't fit another person into her pants if she wanted.'

'Meow,' Mariam purred, as she picked up their empty glasses and over her shoulder he saw an unimpressed Amber flip him off with a sneer.

'It was a compliment.'

'Fuck you, Hiwatari.'

'He wishes.'

Johnny growled. 'Oi, Lady Gaga, shut the fuck up or I'll bust you wan.'

'Hey, McGregor, you start a fight in here and I'll bust you wan.'

'Would you both speak English?' Kai said.

Johnny snorted and blew Amber a kiss, which she mimed catching and tossing in the trash before heading off to take an order.

Feeling his neck prickle, Kai twisted the napkin dispenser and watched Tsubasa glare in his direction.

'I think he has a crush on you.'

Kai rolled his eyes at Johnny's comment. 'Is Tala coming back here or not?'

'He's off with the blonde one. Come on, we'll head to the beach. He can catch up. I heard Ming-Ming saying that a few of her friends might be heading down there. Might be a bit of fun.'

'Nah, we'll wait. Ming-Ming is more bearable when Tala's there to distract her.' Otherwise she would shove her breasts in his face and the girl's figure just wasn't to his liking. He didn't want to go searching for a waist between hips and breasts. He liked sleeker lines, subtler but definitely there curves.

Amber bent over to set a table and his eyes lingered. Yeah, there was something to say about sleek lines and curves.

'Bryan smash.'

He shot Johnny an irritated look but quickly checked Bryan's position to make sure the burly teen wasn't making a move in his direction. Luckily, Bryan was being distracted by Mariam, who was taking her five-minute break and was spending it in his lap, eating his food and talking, while the big lug contentedly rested his chin on her shoulder.

'He's like an overgrown pup,' Johnny stated with a mix of disgust and fascination.

'He's happy which saves us from being bruised.'

'Ah no, saves you. I don't pick on Benson in a warped way to make sure she spends all her attention on me.'

Kai flipped him off.

'Well I don't. Though it obviously is successful because it's spurred his royal campness over there to try it too. You should do something.'

'Like what?'

'Ask her out.'

'Benson doesn't date.' She just kissed random guys at parties. He knew. He saw.

'Because she's waiting for you. Everyone knows this.'

Kai didn't respond, his attention caught on the napkin dispenser where Tsubasa had Amber's hand trapped between his and – was the tool really trying to look soulfully into her eyes? Tsubasa really needed to stop using Twilight as their _Dating Guide for Dummies_.

'So Amby, what are your plans for this weekend?'

Amber glared at him. 'Avoiding you.'

'She's not even playing hard to get, is she?' Johnny nodded with a mild expression of approval.

'She just doesn't like him.'

'He calls her Amby, what's to like?'

Kai snorted. Well that was a fair point. Amby was a pathetic nickname. At least his had some originality. He figured she liked it too. It didn't make her expression ice over, instead it usually resulted in her resemblance of a jaundiced tomato as she huffed and puffed at him.

'Is Mariam still over with Bryan?'

Kai folded another fry into his mouth and with a quick flick of his gaze, confirmed Johnny's question.

'Ah that's probably for the best.'

Kai consulted the napkin dispenser and scowled. That bastard had ten seconds to remove his fingers from her wrist.

Five seconds.

Three seconds.

'SHIT you BITCH!'

'Oh, so your thumb _can_ bend that way. Good to know.'

Kai smirked. Benson could be such a bitch when she wanted to be.

'Oh someone's not going to be using his fist tonight.'

'Johnny, shut up.'

Satisfied Kai slumped back in his seat and reached for his non-existent glass. Oh Mariam had taken it. He stood up. 'I'm getting a drink. Want one?'

He strolled up to the counter and leaned against it, dismissing Mathilda as she moved to serve him. Amber smacked the coffee grinder and cursed when it spluttered.

'Mathilda, fix that.'

'Um, yes,' the pink haired girl squeaked.

'Amber did you break Tsubasa's thumb?' Mariam asked, coming to stand beside him with a grin.

'No, I just bent in the wrong direction. It'll be fine.'

The blue haired girl chuckled, then smiled up at him. 'Kai, do you want something?'

Not to be served by her. Bryan was probably suppressing his Hulk gene as it was.

'Ugh, I'll serve him. Also can you please deal with Rupaul?'

The laugh startled him and he quickly coughed to hide it, glancing back at the silver haired teen who was openly glaring at him. Kai had never considered himself perverse but the fucker was asking for it. He'd acted like some popstar diva ever since he'd shown up in their small seaside village and he was only after Amber to piss him off. Like Kai didn't know the prick was one of Voltaire's bastards. With the way his grandfather acted, Kai figured that there were at least a half dozen in the world somewhere.

Amber frowned at him but he knew her well enough to see the lurking pleasure. It wasn't often that he laughed at something she said though she could be pretty amusing. Especially when she was riled up and ranting at him. He figured she was loud in all aspects of her life, which was something he had been considering exploring more and more.

Mariam shook her head and muttered something that vaguely sounded like 'get a room' before she sashayed off to deal with the Silver Surfer.

'You going to serve me or not?'

Amber's lips curved and he knew exactly where her sharp little mind had jumped to before she folded her arms and waited for him to order.

'A sprite and a cola.'

'Please?'

'Aw Ember, you don't need to beg.'

Her brows drew together and she rolled her eyes. 'Grow up. I'm not being part of your pissing comp with your uncle.'

'My uncle? You mean Rupaul?' He supposed Tsubasa was his uncle. Illegitimately. Disturbing.

'Seriously just whip them out and see whose is bigger.'

'Ember if you want to see it, you just have to ask.'

She shook her head and went to fetch his drinks. Which annoyed the fuck out of him because she was supposed to rise to his baiting. That was how it worked.

She set his drinks on the counter and held out her hand for the money but before moving to put it in the till, she leaned over the counter. 'Look, just tell him that there's nothing between us so he'll leave me alone. Honestly, Kai,' she lifted her eyes to meet his and he knew she was being serious, 'this is creeping me out. I don't like these games. So just flirt with another girl or something so he'll leave me alone.'

He considered that and sipped his sprite. She took that to mean he agreed and began to enter the money in the till. She grabbed her notepad and left the serving station. As she passed him he snagged her wrist and brought her back against him, leaning down to his lips were at her ear and he could smell the strawberry scent of her hair.

'Little problem there, Ember,' he said, his voice squeezing out of his tight throat. He licked his lips that were suddenly dry accidentally grazing the shell of her ear causing her to stiffen. He saw her pulse flutter at her throat. 'I'm not much into using girls.'

'Then what are you doing with me?' she ground out the words and he was aware of Tsubasa watching them.

'Getting uncle to leave you alone.'

'And how is that working?'

He needed to get out of there. Too many people were watching them. Bryan was probably being restrained but he couldn't remove his attention from Amber. Kai shifted his grip to her shoulders and began to guide her out of the diner. 'She's taking a break,' he told Mathilda.

Having pushed her around the corner to the alleyway he released her and dodged her elbow.

'What the hell, Hiwatari?'

He disarmed her by pressing her up against the wall and caught her chin so she would meet his gaze. He didn't want to frighten her or make her feel threatened but their cat and mouse game needed to end. Talking to her seriously had to achieve something.

'You want my uncle to leave you alone? Then go off the market. Show him that he doesn't have a chance with you.'

'You want me to date some randomer just to make him leave me alone and then I'll have to deal with some other guy not taking a hint.'

This close to him her mouth was such a nuisance. 'Not some randomer.'

'What, Hiwatari,' she laughed but it wasn't amused, it was thread and full of false bravado, 'you asking me out?'

'Could be.'

'Could, would, should? I'm not playing games with you.'

'Yes.'

She parted her lips, struggled for words and he shoved away from her, raking a hand through his hair. They'd told him she had a crush on him. Her whole demeanour had assured him of that. This should have been easy.

'Look it would make him leave you alone.'

'So you're only telling me that for that reason.'

He growled. 'What do you want?' A fucking live sacrifice?

'I'm not going out with you to annoy your uncle and make you feel like a bigger man. I'm not a prize. I don't even know how I could be a prize. I'm Amber, remember? We've taken lumps out of each other since we were four.'

'And then you grew them and things were different.'

'Grew –' her gaze dropped to her chest before slowly levelling on his face with a dark expression. 'Seriously? Does your brain actually work?'

Okay that was a little crude. 'You are such a pain in the ass.'

'Uh hello, pot, kettle. Look let's pretend this didn't happen and –'

'No, because then we'll go back to how it was and that fucking doesn't work.'

She threw her hands in the air and looked to the sky. 'What will work then?'

'You, me and food.'

She grinned before covering it quickly as if she feared offending him. 'Really? Food. And us. Where?'

He sighed. This was not working out. The idea of them eating food in a restaurant was just weird. 'Your backyard? Or mine, that could work. Tomorrow afternoon.'

'Why those places?'

'They're private and nobody's going to interfere. That way we can actually talk and figure out if we can be around each other and not bicker.'

'Puh-lease. We already know this. But sure why not.' She stretched and showed a brief glimpse of golden skin under the hem of her black blouse. 'What time?'

'Your mum working tomorrow?' She nodded. 'I'll call round at three.'

Amber tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. 'Alright then.'

He watched her walk back to the café and called himself a few interesting names before catching up and dropping a kiss to her cheek. She stopped, startled. He slipped past her and into the café, ignoring Tsubasa as he slid into the seat opposite Johnny and Tala and snagged a now soggy fry.

'So you and Benson…' Johnny trailed off wiggling his eyebrows.

Kai shrugged and angled the napkin dispenser so he could keep an eye on his potential date. 'We'll see.'


End file.
